Optically active β-hydroxy-α-aminocarboxylic acid derivatives are important intermediates for compounds useful as several fine chemical materials represented by physiologically active substances such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, etc.
As a process for producing optically active β-hydroxy-α-aminocarboxylic acid derivative, a process is known in which a racemic α-aminoacyl acetic acid ester compound is subjected to asymmetric hydrogenation by catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation with ruthenium-optically active phosphine complex catalyst to produce syn-selectively an optically active β-hydroxy-α-aminocarboxylic acid derivative (see, for example, Non-patent Documents 1 and 2, and Patent Document 1).
In addition, asymmetric hydrogenation with a transition metal catalyst of olefins, ketones and imines has been known well (see, for example, Non-patent Document 3).    Patent Document 1: JP-A-6-80617 (1994)    Non-patent Document 1: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1989, 111, p. 9134-9135    Non-patent Document 2: SYNTHESIS, 1992, p. 1248-1254    Non-patent Document 3: R. Noyori ed. Asymmetric Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, (1994) Jhon Wiley &; Sons, Inc, New York